Following the 10th spring practice of the season, second-year wide receivers coach Alvis Whitted and four players from his position group met with local media.

Seniors Kendric Pryor, Jack Dunn and Danny Davis detailed their decisions to return and the growth of Chimere Dike, AJ Abbott and Devin Chandler.

It’s nearly impossible to properly put an end to a college career amidst a shortened season without any fans. When you add nagging injuries and a disappointing finish to the mix, Danny Davis and Kendric Pryor didn’t want their careers at UW to end that way.

“Last year I only got a chance to play in two-and-a-half games, so just not wanting my last year to end like that because the concussions kept me off," Pryor said. "Most of the year I tried to come back but then re-aggravated it. That and just the guys, being around the team and getting a chance to actually work with Coach Whit (Whitted) where we have a full spring, summer, fall camp."

A shortened season without a spring camp and adjusted summer workouts didn’t allow for a full offseason of work. For Pryor and Davis, having a full workload with Whitted was a key sticking point as well. For the pair, Whitted’s resume jumped off the page.

“Mainly had to do with trying to get a full year with him. He’s coached a lot of places,” Davis said. “Just to learn a lot of things from him and take that in so I can use that to my advantage, but also I didn’t really want to end how I did last year - unfortunately not being able to play a full season - so I just wanted to finish strong with my team and put together a full season."

Their return is also paying off for a group of young receivers on the current roster.

"Those guys have been great. Any time I have a question, they’ve been there since my freshman year. Really looking forward to playing with those guys more," sophomore Chimere Dike said. "The thing I learned from Kendric is that when he gets the ball in his hands, he’s a playmaker. He’s always trying to make a big play and I think that’s important as a receiver.

"With Danny, his catch radius is what impresses me. He makes me want to go up and make every catch and make one-handed catches like he does."

Second-year player Devin Chandler and redshirt junior A.J. Abbott were thrown into the fire this past season with injuries to Davis and Pryor, who were projected to carry the bulk of the load. With their first year of playing experience under their belts, Whitted and the players within the group have noticed growth.

"Just think he’s taking a bigger approach for the game, mentally. He’s taking time to understand the why and it’s starting to resonate with him, and you can see that in a lot of the plays that he makes," Whitted said of Abbott. "Out there he has a lot of quickness and long speed. He just has to continue to stay the course and not get satisfied with just being where he is right now."

The Michigan native hauled in the first pair of catches of his career this past season. A three-star recruit coming out of high school, Abbott will be looking to make the jump for consistent playing time in 2021.

"Just him taking that next step," Pryor said of Abbott. "Him doing that extra stuff - meeting with Coach Whit, asking me more questions, asking Danny more questions, asking Jack Dunn more questions, you can kind of tell that dog mentality. He’s hungry taking that extra step to find that opportunity."

Chandler experienced his first game action as a freshman late in the year. A two-star recruit out of North Carolina, Chandler earned the trust of the coaching staff to the point of taking over kick return responsibilities and garnering some reps carrying the ball, highlighted by an 18-yard run against Wake Forest in the season finale.

"I feel like Devin’s really improved coming into this spring. He’s just played with more confidence, understood the game more. That just comes with reps. He’s a guy who I think is going to be really big for us," Dike, also a member of the 2020 class, said. "As long as he keeps working and keeps on doing what he’s doing, he’s on the right path. He’s in my class, so I’m looking forward to playing with him."

For Davis, he can't help but see some of himself in the pair and believes the tandem will be a big part of the reason why the passing game bounces back.

"You can see that they’ve had a year of football under their belt," Davis said. "When you first come in, it takes a little while to get adjusted to the game and the playbook. Just them maturing and the game slowing down for them. I see a lot of myself and Kendric in them."

"Explosive, man," Davis added when asked about what the passing game can look like this year. "It’s not even just me and Kendric, we got Jack, we got Chim, we got A.J. Abbott, we got Devin Chandler, we got a bunch of guys that are all coming together."

Chimere Dike:

"Coach Whit loves the games and he loves his players. I really appreciate the things he’s done and I know that he’s been there. He’s played at the NFL level, coached at the NFL level, coached guys that have made it to the NFL, coached All Americans, so I really just try to listen to everything he says. He’s been great. Very fortunate to have a coach like that and looking forward to continuing to work with him and keep improving."

Danny Davis:

"We know that was a tough year for us with the whole COVID and injuries, it just wasn’t working out for us as a whole group. We have that and we use that as an edge. We want to be better and we will be better so we for sure use that as fuel."